84-460: Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London 's Oxford Street . In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road . The company expanded to hundreds of stores worldwide in the 1990s, but lost a large number of stores during the 2010s, largely with
168-712: A 20-per cent stake in Malaysia's AirAsia X . On 13 October 2007, Branson's Virgin Group sought to add Northern Rock to its empire after submitting an offer that would result in Branson personally owning 30% of the company and changing the company's name from Northern Rock to Virgin Money . The Daily Mail ran a campaign against his bid; Vince Cable , financial spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats , suggested in
252-520: A chain of health care clinics that would offer conventional medical care alongside homeopathic and complementary therapies, a development that was welcomed by Ben Bradshaw , the UK's health minister. Plans where GPs could be paid for referring National Health Service (NHS) patients to private Virgin services were abandoned in June 2008. The BMA warned the plan would "damage clinical objectivity", there would be
336-510: A cooperative. His business sold records for considerably less than the "High Street" outlets, especially the chain WHSmith . Branson once said, "There is no point in starting your own business unless you do it out of a sense of frustration." At the time, many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to limit retail price maintenance . Branson eventually started
420-650: A few to Simon Douglas and Les Whitfield's Head Entertainment . Virgin entered the Turkish market in March 2011 with a store located in the Demirören shopping centre on Istiklal Street near Taksim , Istanbul . The product mix of books, digital media and electronics failed to compete with better established chains and the store closed in autumn 2012. The Azadea Group of Beirut, Lebanon has an exclusive license since 2001 to operate Virgin Megastores in many countries within
504-634: A financial incentive for GPs to push patients toward the Virgin services at the centre. Plans to take over an NHS Practice in Swindon were abandoned in late September 2008. In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former Honda Formula One team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One , but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop
588-537: A five-year contract for provision of a range of health services which had previously been under the aegis of NHS Surrey, the local primary care trust. By March 2015, Virgin Care was in charge of more than 230 services nationwide. In July 2012, Branson announced plans to build an orbital space launch system , designated LauncherOne . Four commercial customers have already contracted for launches and two companies are developing standardised satellite buses optimised to
672-688: A global audience. The company was founded with author Deepak Chopra , filmmaker Shekhar Kapur , and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra . Branson also launched the Virgin Health Bank on 1 February 2007, offering parents-to-be the opportunity to store their baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells in private and public stem-cell banks. In June 2006, a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic led both UK and US competition authorities to investigate price-fixing attempts between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. In August 2007, British Airways
756-536: A magazine named Student in 1966 with Nik Powell . The first issue of Student appeared in January 1968, and a year later, Branson's net worth was estimated at £50,000. The office for the venture was situated in the crypt of St. John's Church, off Bayswater Road , in London. Though not initially as successful as he hoped, the magazine later became a vital component of the mail-order record business Branson started from
840-738: A majority takeover of the French arm of Virgin from Lagardère. This deal was finalised in February 2008. In 2007 the real estate company Related Companies and Vornado Realty Trust acquired Virgin Megastores North America. Related and Vornado were the landlords for the two most profitable stores in the United States and those stores were profitable because they had long-term leases in which rents were locked in at an extremely low rate. Both real estate companies wanted to break
924-443: A more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image. At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also under way about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term. After the end of the season and the subsequent purchase of Brawn GP by Mercedes-Benz , Branson invested in an 80% buyout of Manor Grand Prix, with
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#17327756968511008-671: A new store nearly every year. Antar Group of Damascus has an exclusive to operate Virgin Megastores in Syria since 2007. Since the Syrian Civil War has caused most normal economic activities to virtually cease in the country since 2011, all megastores in the country are currently closed and may not return until political stability returns. Virgin's main store in Lebanon was located in the old Cinema Opera on Martyrs' Square , Beirut Central District ; it opened on 3 July 2001 and
1092-601: A passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22 at the edge of space , a suborbital test flight for his spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). At 70, Branson became the third oldest person to fly to space. Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born on 18 July 1950 in Blackheath , Royal Borough of Greenwich , London,
1176-520: A record shop in Oxford Street in London . In 1971, he was questioned in connection with the selling of records declared export stock. The matter was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaid purchase tax of 33% and a £70,000 fine. His parents re-mortgaged the family home to help pay the settlement. In 1972, using money earned from his record store, Branson launched
1260-788: A second location was opened at the Mall of Arabia in 6th of October City in December 2011. A third location was opened at the Festival City Mall in Cairo in June 2015. And the 4th and newest branch opened in Mall of Egypt on 27 September 2017. The first location in Kuwait opened in 2002. By May 2008, there were two Virgin Megastores in Kuwait , one at Marina Mall in Salmiya and the other at
1344-532: A stewardess. Fernandes escaped as the bet winner, as Lotus Racing ended tenth in the championship, while Virgin Racing ended twelfth and last. Branson kept his word after losing the bet, as he served his duty as a stewardess on an Air Asia flight between Perth and Kuala Lumpur on 12 May 2013. In 2010, Branson became patron of the UK's Gordon Bennett 2010 gas balloon race, which has 16 hydrogen balloons flying across Europe. In April 2012, Virgin Care commenced
1428-805: A store was opened at the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. The thirteenth store in the UAE was opened at the Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain in July 2015. As well as being an all-rounded entertainment retailer, these Megastores also act as venues, with artist signings/appearances, performances and quiz nights and a newly launched boutique section offering everything from movie memorabilia to jewellery. Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950)
1512-678: A variation of the Virgin Galactic livery to his personal business jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX "Galactic Girl" (G-GALX). He was ninth in The Sunday Times Rich List 2006 of the wealthiest people or families in the UK, worth slightly more than £3 billion. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline. My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them ... from
1596-604: Is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and as of 2016 controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called Student . In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records —later known as Virgin Megastores —in 1972. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during
1680-468: Is manufactured by The Spaceship Company , which was founded by Branson and Rutan and is now solely owned by Virgin Galactic. In 2013, Branson said that he planned to take his two children, 31-year-old Holly and 28-year-old Sam, on a trip to outer space when they ride the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane on its first public flight, then planned for 2014. As part of his promotion of the firm, Branson has added
1764-705: Is the shopping centre's main anchor. In November 2008 they opened a smaller store in a shopping centre called Landmark . Other locations includes Mall of Qatar, Qatar Mall, Doha Festival City, Hamad International Airport (departure area) and a small kiosk at The Pearl. The first Virgin Megastore in the United Arab Emirates in September 2001 at the Deira City Centre in Dubai, two months after
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#17327756968511848-638: The House of Commons that Branson's criminal conviction for tax evasion might be felt by some as a good enough reason not to trust him with public money. In September 2023, Branson declared his decision against injecting additional funds into Virgin Galactic, his space travel company experiencing financial losses. He highlighted that his business empire no longer possesses extensive financial resources, indicating constraints on further investment. On 9 January 2008, Virgin Healthcare announced that it would open
1932-866: The Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Sometime between 2009 and 2010, the ownership for the Virgin Megastore franchise in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East was transferred from Star Multimedia to Virgin Megastores Middle East, Azadea Group. By May 2010, stores were also added at the Mirdif City Centre and at the Jumeira Beach residence in Dubai to make a total of seven stores in the UAE. The eighth store in
2016-739: The Republic of Ireland in Dublin in 1986. More stores opened in Ireland from the early 1990s including Cork City . The company had planned to launch an online store specifically for the Republic of Ireland at virginmegastores.ie however plans were shelved when its Irish operations were sold in 2007. At its height of success the company owned 6 stores in the Republic of Ireland, however, by 2002 stores began to close. The Virgin Group sought to sell its Irish operations during 2007, and on 17 September 2007, it
2100-694: The SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism . In March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for "services to entrepreneurship". Due to his work in retail, music, and transport, his taste for adventure, and for his humanitarian work, he has become a prominent global figure. In 2007, he was placed in the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World list. In June 2023, Forbes listed Branson's estimated net worth at US$ 3 billion. On 11 July 2021, Branson travelled as
2184-743: The Virgin Group . The Virgin Group sought to sell its UK and Ireland stores during 2007, and on 17 September 2007, it was announced that the UK and Ireland arm of the Virgin Megastores brand was to break away from the Virgin Group. A management buy-out offer was accepted. Stores were rebranded as Zavvi . Following the collapse of Woolworths , which owned Zavvi's supplier Entertainment UK , Zavvi entered administration on 24 December 2008 as it had been unable to source stock from other suppliers under favourable terms. By February 2009 Zavvi had closed its stores, selling some to rival HMV , and
2268-518: The airport . However, by late 2011 the airport branch was shut down, while the second branch shut down in March 2012. After a seven-year absence, Virgin Megastores returned to Kuwait in February 2020 by opening its first new store there at The Avenues Mall. Virgin Megastores currently has six stores in Qatar , with one being located in the Villaggio Mall (an Italian-themed mall), Doha which
2352-1090: The 1980s, as he started the Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label . In 1997, Branson founded the Virgin Rail Group to bid for passenger rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail . The Virgin Trains brand operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 1997 to 2019, the InterCity CrossCountry franchise from 1997 to 2007, and the InterCity East Coast franchise from 2015 to 2018. In 2004, he founded spaceflight corporation Virgin Galactic , based at Mojave Air and Space Port in California, noted for
2436-767: The Barcelona Olympics. This opening was followed by another Megastore in Seville (1993) however the opening of a flagship store in Madrid eluded the retailer, because at that time, cinemas and theatres in the Gran Vía (Madrid's most popular commercial thoroughfare) could not easily be reassigned for commercial use. The Spanish company diversified by opening small outlets in busy Spanish and Portuguese airports. In 1994, Virgin Retail España reached an agreement with
2520-567: The Earth's climate. Branson also announced that he would be joined in the adjudication of the prize by a panel of five judges, all world authorities in their respective fields: Al Gore , Sir Crispin Tickell , Tim Flannery , James E. Hansen , and James Lovelock . In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home, Makepeace Island , in Noosa . In August 2007, Branson announced that he had bought
2604-609: The Middle East currently trades as V Star Multimedia LLC. Culture Convenience Club owns what was Virgin Megastores Japan, which have since been rebranded as Tsutaya. The Australian Virgin Megastores and Virgin at Myer concept stores were operated by Brazin Limited. ( Sanity Entertainment after 2009) until all were closed in 2010; Brazin also ran local HMV outlets, in addition to their own Sanity brand. In December 2007 Butler Capital Partners announced their intention to mount
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2688-627: The Middle East, except for countries which already have a franchise. Operating as Virgin Megastores Middle East, Azadea has stores in UAE , Qatar , Bahrain , Egypt , Kuwait , and Jordan . Megastores of Lebanon S.A.L. has an exclusive franchise to operate Virgin Megastores in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia . Best Financière (Label Vie Carrefour) of Rabat has an exclusive license to operate Virgin Megastores within Morocco . Since 2010, Best has been opening
2772-955: The Roshana Centre, Red Sea Mall and on in Jeddah domestic airport in Jeddah and there's one at Dhahran Mall Eastern Province . In November 2017, a fifth Saudi location was open at the Hayat Mall in Riyadh . As of September 2008, there is currently one Virgin Megastore in Bahrain . It is in the Bahrain City Centre . The first Egyptian store was opened at the City Stars Mall in Cairo in October 2005. Six years later,
2856-402: The UAE was opened in September 2011 at the Dubai Mall in Dubai. The Jumeirah Beach residence appeared to have been closed sometime before September 2012, bring the store count back down to seven. A second store in Abu Dhabi opened at the Al Wahda Mall in November 2012. As of November 2012, there were eight Virgin Megastores in the UAE six of which are located in Dubai. In December 2014,
2940-411: The Virgin Megastore in Piazza Duomo Milan closed. Currently this building is occupied by a Mondadori retail store. After the Italian franchise Virgin Retail Italy filed for bankruptcy and liquidation, the Italian bankruptcy court ordered in May 2004 the immediate closure of three out of four of the remaining stores while allowing the store in Bergamo to remain open for a few additional months to allow
3024-409: The Virgin Megastores worldwide were split between the Virgin Group and the Lagardère Group. The Virgin Group kept the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States and Japan outlets while the Lagardère Group obtained the shops in France and travel retail locations globally including Australia , China, United Arab Emirates , Qatar , Greece , Italy , Egypt , Lebanon and Jordan . Virgin Megastores in
3108-412: The Virgin group was Virgin Fuels , which was set up to respond to global warming and exploit the recent spike in fuel costs by offering a revolutionary, cheaper fuel for automobiles and, in the near future, aircraft. Branson has stated that he was formerly a global warming sceptic and was influenced in his decision by a breakfast meeting with Al Gore . On 21 September 2006, Branson pledged to invest
3192-464: The Virgin label to EMI for £500 million. Branson said that he wept when the sale was completed because the record business had been the very start of the Virgin empire. He created V2 Records in 1996 to re-enter the music business, owning 5% himself. Virgin also acquired European short-haul airline Euro Belgian Airlines and renamed it Virgin Express . In 1997, Branson took what many saw as being one of his riskier business exploits by entering into
3276-404: The age of sixteen. Branson has dyslexia , and had poor academic performance; on his last day at school, his headmaster, Robert Drayson , told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. Branson has also talked openly about having ADHD . Branson's parents were supportive of his endeavours from an early age. His mother was an entrepreneur; one of her most successful ventures
3360-407: The benefit of customers listening to the music on offer. After making the shop into a success, they turned their business into a fully fledged record label, Virgin Records . The name Virgin , according to Branson (in his autobiography), arose from a colleague of his when they were brainstorming business ideas. She suggested Virgin, as they were all new to business, like "virgins". The first release on
3444-434: The chain in 2001. In December 2007 Butler Capital Partners announced their intention to mount a majority takeover of the French arm of Virgin from Lagardère. This deal was finalised in February 2008. According to the Lagardère 2007 report, 80% of the Virgin stores was to be sold by Lagardère Services at a value of €76.4 million, and 20% would be kept. Prior to this sale 51% of VirginMega, France's number 2 music download website,
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3528-453: The chance to see our beautiful planet from such a powerful perspective." In 2014, Branson launched the "Foodpreneur" food and drink-focused start-up competition. Winners were provided with mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling. The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, the competition expanded to the Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur Festival. The 2015 winners were given
3612-468: The company to depose of its remaining inventory. Virgin Megastores entered the Dutch market in the 1990s and operated four stores (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Maastricht). In 2000, it decided to exit the market. Three stores were sold to the Free Record Shop group, while the Maastricht branch was closed. Free Record Shop also acquired three Virgin Megastores in Belgium. Virgin Retail España, S.L. opened its Barcelona store in November 1992, just after
3696-419: The contract, Branson said he was convinced the civil servants had "got their maths wrong". In October, after an investigation into the bidding process, the deal was scrapped. The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced there were "significant technical flaws" in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff. Virgin Rail continued to operate the West Coast line until 7 December 2019, when it
3780-407: The corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Vía de les Corts Catalans. This building is currently occupied by Zara clothes store. The first Virgin Megastore opened in the United Kingdom in 1979 and between the 1980s and 1990s, the chain grew, including via its merger with Our Price whilst under the ownership of WH Smith . By the 1990s Virgin Megastores had become an international franchise as part of
3864-435: The country. In 1996, local merchandising group Fotex opened the first and only Hungarian Virgin Megastore (1000 m2) in the first "western" shopping mall, Duna Plaza, in Budapest. It was operated under a franchise until 2000. Between 2001 and 2006, Fotex operated the store as "Hungaroton Gigastore". The shop was closed in 2006 and no more Virgin Megastore shops were opened in Hungary. Virgin Megastores opened its first store in
3948-432: The department store chain Galerías Preciados and opened small concessions in their Madrid stores (Callao, Goya, Serrano, La Vaguada and Parquesur). Galerías Preciados ceased trading the following year and Virgin Retail España quickly re-organised its operations and opened medium-sized stores in ABC Serrano (Madrid), La Coruña, Vigo, Málaga, Bilbao and Santander. Larger stores followed in Portugal (Lisbon and Oporto) but by 1997
4032-443: The design of LauncherOne, in expectation of business opportunities created by the new smallsat launcher. In August 2012, when re-tendered the InterCity West Coast franchise was awarded to FirstGroup after a competitive tender process overseen by the Department for Transport . Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup. When Virgin Rail lost
4116-406: The first and only Virgin Megastore in Vienna, on Mariahilferstraße, was sold and closed. There were 35 Virgin Megastores in France. Twelve additional stores in France were branded Furet du Nord , and about ten international stores were owned by the same company. The French Megastore business was launched in 1988 by Branson and Patrick Zelnick, CEO of music publisher Naïve. Lagardère Group bought
4200-406: The good of mankind. The Virgin Earth Challenge was to award $ 25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design that will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of
4284-408: The growth of the stores in particular developing the stores in the Middle East before their eventual disposals under license detailed under Ownership. Like many of Branson's Virgin brands, Virgin Megastores is not wholly owned by the Virgin Group . During the early to mid-2000s Virgin Group decided to sell off most of its Virgin Megastores to various companies, including the Lagardere Group . By 2001
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#17327756968514368-444: The impact of digital technology had already hit their distribution model very hard. Music was by then being traded freely on the Internet but the major music labels did little to help support high street retailers. Inevitably, the Virgin Retail Group took the difficult strategic decision to close all of Virgin's high street stores in southern Europe. In July 1998 Virgin Megastores closed its southern European flagship store in Barcelona on
4452-413: The label was the progressive rock album Tubular Bells by multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield in 1973. Virgin's first formal store opened on London's Oxford Street in January or February 1971 (exact date uncertain). In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Marble Arch . Virgin Megastores and Virgin Records operated as entirely separate entities, like many of
4536-457: The larger stores do generally stock the full product range. In 2003, all US Stores increased their focus on multiple fashion categories spanning Pop culture, Street, Urban, Movie & TV to complement the music, DVD and video games offers. Virgin Mobile products can also be found in separately run Virgin Mobile Concessions within most Virgin Megastores. Some shops also house cafes or coffee shops run by external companies. In 2005, Virgin Digital
4620-693: The lease on its flagship Champs-Élysées store in Paris after 25 years on the famous avenue. In June 2013 the company was finally liquidated and ceased operations after 25 years. Virgin Megastore withdrew from the German market in 1994, amid complaints that the country's shop-closing law was too restrictive. The Virgin name is used by the Lagardère Group to brand a small number of convenience stores within airports and railway stations. In September 2019 there were seven Virgin shops, of which four are in or adjacent to Frankfurt airport. As of June 2005 there were 15 Virgin Megastores in Greece , operated by Vivere Entertainment. As of 2015, no Virgin Megastores exist in
4704-593: The leases and replace Virgin with new tenants that were willing to pay the then current higher rental rates that would make an entertainment retail business unprofitable. They have since decided to close all the American stores. Virgin shops have a wide selection of CDs , games, books, DVDs , vinyl records , magazines, portable media players, accessories and additional products such as calendars, board games and Virgin branded items. Larger stores also stock electronic equipment and computer peripherals. Not all of these product categories are stocked by all Virgin shops, though
4788-417: The opening in Beirut. A few months later, the second store in the country was opened in Abu Dhabi in October 2001. A fourth store in UAE opened in Jumeirah in 2002. By October 2005, there were four stores in the UAE, with stores at the Deira City Center, at Burjuman and at Mercato Mall in Dubai and at the Abu Dhabi Mall in Abu Dhabi. A month later, Branson was present at the Virgin Megastores opening at
4872-406: The opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice and Mallow and Marsh. In March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating the InterCity East Coast franchise; the company was a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Group (10%). Due to the line performing below VTEC's expectations, it
4956-404: The other Virgin companies. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Virgin Megastores opened over 100 stores in the UK, and many others around the world, including expansion into Asia Pacific and North America, under the leadership of Ian Duffell – President & CEO of Virgin Entertainment Group until 1998. Simon Wright – Chief Executive of the Virgin Entertainment Group from 1999 to 2009 was instrumental in
5040-536: The partnership on Richard Branson's boat, leading to the concise and impactful title " Now That's What I Call Music! ," inspired by a Danish Bacon poster gifted to Simon Draper. Richard Branson's introduction to the antique shop owned by Joan Templeman, played a pivotal role in his growing fascination with old signs and advertisements, ultimately shaping the collection. Branson formed Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Cargo in 1984. He formed Virgin Holidays in 1985. In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold
5124-477: The perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it. In 2006, through a merger with SN Brussels Airlines , Virgin Airlines formed Brussels Airlines , while retaining its separate listing. It also started a national airline based in Nigeria, called Virgin Nigeria , which ceased operations in 2009. Another airline, Virgin America , began flying out of San Francisco International Airport in August 2007. Branson's next venture with
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#17327756968515208-459: The press that portrayed Virgin negatively. After the so-called campaign of "dirty tricks" , British Airways settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson, a further £110,000 to his airline, and had to pay legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson distributed his compensation (the so-called "BA bonus") among his staff. Branson launched Virgin Mobile in 1999, and airline Virgin Blue in Australia in 2000. On 25 September 2004, Branson announced
5292-465: The profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally-friendly fuels. The investment is estimated to be worth $ 3 billion. On 4 July 2006, Branson sold his Virgin Mobile company to UK cable TV, broadband, and telephone company NTL:Telewest for £900 million. A new company was launched with much fanfare and publicity on 8 February 2007, under the name Virgin Media . The decision to merge his Virgin Media Company with NTL
5376-417: The public to such lesser known avant-garde music as Faust and Can . Virgin Records also introduced Culture Club to the music world. Branson's net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979, and a year later, Virgin Records went international. Branson's first successful entry into the airline industry was during a trip to Puerto Rico. His flight was cancelled, so he decided to charter his own plane
5460-562: The railway business during the privatisation of British Rail in the late 1990s. Virgin Rail Group won the InterCity CrossCountry and InterCity West Coast franchises, beginning operations in January and March 1997 respectively. Both franchises were scheduled to run for 15 years. A series of disputes in the early 1990s caused tension between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways , which viewed Virgin as an emerging competitor. Virgin subsequently accused British Airways of poaching its passengers, hacking its computers, and leaking stories to
5544-421: The record label Virgin Records with Nik Powell . The name "Virgin" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business. Branson bought a country estate north of Oxford in which he installed a residential recording studio, The Manor Studio . He leased studio time to fledgling artists, including multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield , whose debut album Tubular Bells (1973)
5628-483: The rest of the way and offered a ride to the rest of the stranded passengers for a small fee to cover the cost. In 1982, Virgin purchased the gay bar Heaven . In 1991, in a consortium with David Frost , Branson made an unsuccessful bid for three ITV franchises under the CPV-TV name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record " Baa, Baa, Black Sheep ", by The Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald, on which he
5712-416: The sale and eventual closing of the European, North American, Australian, Japanese and Chinese stores. By 2015, it operated only in the Middle East and in North Africa. Richard Branson and Nik Powell had initially run a small record shop called Virgin Records and Tapes on Notting Hill Gate , London , specialising particularly in " krautrock " imports, and offering bean bags and free vegetarian food for
5796-409: The same church he used for Student . Branson used the magazine to advertise popular albums, driving his record sales. He interviewed several prominent personalities of the late 1960s for the magazine including Mick Jagger and R. D. Laing . Branson took over full direction of Student after successfully lying to Powell that the workers at the magazine opposed Powell's plans to turn the magazine into
5880-426: The show Finding Your Roots , Branson was shown to have 3.9% South Asian (Indian) DNA, likely through intermarriage. Later, he stated that one of his great-great-great-grandmothers was an Indian named Ariya. Branson was educated at Scaitcliffe School , a prep school in Surrey , before briefly attending Cliff View House School in Sussex . He attended Stowe School , a private school in Buckinghamshire until
5964-466: The signing of a deal under which a new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic , will license the technology behind SpaceShipOne —funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and designed by aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan —to take paying passengers into suborbital outer space . Virgin Galactic plans to make flights available to the public with tickets priced at US$ 200,000 using the Scaled Composites White Knight Two . The spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo ,
6048-812: The son of Edward James Branson (1918–2011), a barrister , and his wife Evette Huntley Branson ( née Flindt ; 1924–2021), a former ballet dancer and air hostess. He has two younger sisters, Lindy and Vanessa . His grandfather, Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson , was a judge of the High Court of Justice and a Privy Councillor . Branson's great-great-great-grandfather, John Edward Branson, left England for India in 1793; John Edward's father, Harry Wilkins Branson, later joined his son in Madras . Starting from 1793, four generations of Branson's family lived in India, mostly at Cuddalore , in modern-day Tamil Nadu . On
6132-518: The team being renamed Virgin Racing . In 2010, Virgin Hotels was launched under the Virgin Group. In February 2018, Branson announced the first Virgin hotel in the UK would open in Edinburgh. Branson and Tony Fernandes , owner of Air Asia and Lotus F1 Racing , had a bet for the 2010 F1 season where the losing team's boss should work on the winner's airline during a charity flight dressed as
6216-424: Was announced Irish and UK stores would separate from the Virgin Group. A management buy-out offer was accepted. Stores were rebranded as Zavvi . Following the collapse of Zavvi's supplier in December 2008, stores in Ireland were immediately closed in January 2009 with the hope Irish stores could be sold to another buyer unfortunately all were closed with some taken over by other music retailers. In February 2004,
6300-659: Was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government. VTEC ceased operating on 23 June 2018 and operations passed to a government-owned operator, London North Eastern Railway . In November 2015, Branson announced the addition of Moskito Island to the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio. This resort, The Branson Estate on Moskito Island, offers 11 bedrooms for 22 guests. In 2017, Virgin Group invested in Hyperloop One , developing
6384-487: Was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins. In London, he started off squatting from 1967 to 1968. Branson is an atheist . He said in a 2011 interview with CNN's Piers Morgan that he believes in evolution and the importance of humanitarian efforts but not in the existence of God. "I would love to believe," he said. "It's very comforting to believe". After failed attempts to grow and sell both Christmas trees and budgerigars , Branson launched
6468-468: Was credited as "Jeff Mutton". The track consisted of samples of animal noises recorded at his aunt Claire Hoares' farm in Norfolk, set to a drum-machine-produced track and reached number 42 in the UK charts in 1982. In 1983, Now That's What I Call Music! emerged from Virgin Records offices as a unique compilation series, distinct in its originality. Collaborating with EMI , Peter Jamieson orchestrated
6552-584: Was fined £271 million over the allegations. Virgin Atlantic was given immunity for tipping off the authorities and received no fine—a controversial decision the Office of Fair Trading defended as being in the public interest. On 9 February 2007, Branson announced the setting up of a new global science and technology prize—The Virgin Earth Challenge —in the belief that history has shown that prizes of this nature encourage technological advancements for
6636-544: Was launched to cater for those that bought their music digitally or wanted to rip and burn their current music collection. This is designed to add to the services provided by Virgin, rather than replace the Megastores. The download service faced some criticism from consumer groups due to its incompatibility with the popular iPod music player. The service has since been discontinued. Around the world there were other Virgin branded digital music retail websites, such as VirginMega.fr, France's number 2 music download website. In 2003,
6720-614: Was made in order to integrate compatible areas of the two businesses. Whilst Branson had owned three-quarters of Virgin Mobile, he would now get paid £8.5 million per annum for the use of the Virgin brand name. He does not own any part of Virgin Media. In 2006, Branson formed Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for
6804-461: Was replaced by Avanti West Coast . In September 2014, Branson announced his investment in drone company 3D Robotics stating, "It's amazing to see what a little flying object with a GoPro attached can do. Before they came along the alternative was an expensive helicopter and crew. I'm really excited about the potential 3D Robotics sees in drones. They can do a lot of good in the world, and I hope this affordable technology will give many more people
6888-835: Was shut down in 2018. The four level store's inauguration was attended by Virgin's founder Sir Richard Branson . There are also smaller outlets at ABC Malls at Achrafieh , Dbayeh, Verdun and CityMall Dora , as well as in Beirut International Airport . New stores were opened in ABC Mall Dbayeh in November 2012 and ABC Mall Verdun in November 2017. First megastore in Riyadh opened in February 2015. By December 2015, there were four Virgin Megastores in Saudi Arabia. They were located on Tahliah Street in
6972-562: Was the first release for Virgin Records and became a chart-topping best-seller. Virgin signed controversial bands such as the Sex Pistols , which other companies were reluctant to sign. Virgin Records would go on to sign other artists including the Rolling Stones , Peter Gabriel , XTC , Japan , UB40 , Steve Winwood and Paula Abdul , and to become the world's largest independent record label. It also won praise for exposing
7056-875: Was transferred to the Virgin Stores company (sold to Butler), and the remaining 49% was kept by Lagardère Active. In July 2012, LS Travel Retail announced that they will phase out the Virgin Entertainment brand in France, commencing 2013, converting all remaining Virgin travel outlets into larger sized Fnac formats stocking the same range in addition to more product lines. In January 2013, Virgin Megastore France filed for bankruptcy. At that time there were 26 Megastores in France, employing 1,000 people, after two years of cutting over 200 staff and several shops. The company had taken steps to terminate
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